Card games of chance are popular entertainment. In casinos throughout the world, multiple-player card games are played. For example, blackjack is popular based, in part, due to the house, or casino, paying the winning wagers, i.e., booking the bet; also because of the degree of chance and skill involved. Players in all but automatic winning hands referred to as blackjacks, must exercise choices in selecting the various options such as standing on the hand, taking additional cards, splitting the hand, doubling down, or in some cases surrendering the hand. The exercise of choice is believed to be an important component contributing to the excitement and popularity of blackjack.
Another somewhat popular card game of chance is baccarat. In baccarat there are two surrogate players who oppose each other, the Player and the Banker. The casino or house takes the opposite position of each wager. With up to 12 playing positions at a table, a bettor may place his or her wager in one of two manners: with the Banker or with the Player. The Player's objective is to get a hand that is closer to 9 than the Banker's.
After the placing of wagers with the Banker or Player, two initial cards are dealt to each of the surrogates, Player and Banker. The game is played modulo ten, that is, if the total value sum of a hand exceeds 10, then 10 is subtracted from the total, i.e., only the last digit is used as the value of the hand. Hands will always have a value of between 0 through 9. Aces have a value of 1, 10's and face cards a value of 0, all other cards have their face count.
If the Player's (or Banker's) initial two card values have a sum or count of 8 or 9, he turns his cards over immediately. The other must do likewise and the hands are resolved. A 9 wins over any lesser total. If neither the Player nor Banker has a 9, then 8 wins over any lesser total. Ties are stand-off's, i.e. pushes.
If neither the Banker nor Player initial cards have a count of 8 or 9 (requiring immediate exposure of the hands), then the Player has the next play and must stand or draw a third card according to the following table:
______________________________________ PLAYER RULES Initial Count (Sum of Values of Initial Cards) Action ______________________________________ 0-5 Draws a card 6-7 Stands ______________________________________
The value of the third card if drawn is added to the values of the initial two cards, modulo ten, to arrive at the Player's final hand count. If no third card is drawn, the initial count becomes the Player's final count.
Then it is the Banker's turn. The Banker's action is determined by: (1) his initial 2-card hand count and (2) the value of the third card, if any, drawn by the Player. The Banker's action follows these rules.
______________________________________ Initial Count (Sum Draws if Value Does Not Draw if of Values of of Third Card Value of Third Initial Cards) Dealt to Player Card Dealt to Player Is ______________________________________ 3 0-7, 9, or no card 8 4 2-7, or no card 0, 1, 8-9 5 4-7, or no card 0-3, 8-9 6 6-7 0-5, 8-9, or no card 7 stands stands 8-9 turns over turns over 0-2 draws a card draws a card ______________________________________
The foregoing rules are based on the odds of bettering the Banker's initial hand count relative to the player's possible total. They are fixed rules. If a third card is drawn, its value is added to the values of the initial cards, modulo ten, to arrive at the Banker's final count. If no third card is drawn, the Banker's initial count becomes the Banker's final count.
Once play is completed by the Banker, the final hands are turned over and resolved with the hand with the final count closest to 9 deemed the winner. Wagers are then paid even money to all those who wagered with the victorious Banker or Player. Wagers with the loser are collected. Ties are a push and no one wins or loses. Since the odds favor the Banker, a 5% commission is collected by the casino on winning bets placed with the Banker.
In baccarat, there are no choices. When cards are drawn or when the Player or Banker stands are determined by the tables set forth above. Further, all those wagering with the Player (or Banker) are bound by the play and luck of their surrogate.
Chemin de Fer differs from baccarat in that players occupy both positions of Banker and Player with the house taxing the winnings of the player acting as Banker. The Banker position rotates, or can be usurped with the "Banco" wager.
Continental baccarat (played in France) gives the Player an option of drawing or standing only on an initial count of 5. The Banker's draw is entirely optional.
Baccarat and chemin de fer, due to their rules of play, have not enjoyed any major success as a casino table card game in the U.S. There is generally only one table experiencing action, and that is only because it is in a lavish setting, appealing to a very small percentage of potential players. Attempts at introducing "mini-baccarat" on a table the size of a blackjack table have had only a token response. The deficiencies noted above of complex, strict rules regarding the drawing of a third card, limited player participation and choice and the taking back of a commission from some of the winnings simply cannot compete with the excitement derived from the degree of choice and skill in betting and selecting a card offered in games such as blackjack or poker. There is a need for a casino card game different from and competing with blackjack to provide players with variety and appeal to a broad spectrum of customers.